This invention relates to the field of adapter connectivity and configuration setup techniques in computers which accept plug-in adapters, and more particularly to a computer with a true parallel connection bus where the positioning of an adapter device at a connector on the bus is independent of intended operation.
A peripheral or interface apparatus for a computer system, commonly known as an adapter, performs tasks between a central processing unit (CPU) with its related circuitry (.e.g., random access memory) and peripheral devices, such as a video display, a printer, a mass storage device, a telecommunications device or a network. These tasks include of reception, buffering processing and transmission of data. Each adapter must be configured to operate properly within its environment.
In the past, adapters have been rendered distinguishable by the placement position on a quasi-parallel bus structure (a bus which has position-sensitive or numbered connectors), such as found in the Extended ISA (EISA) environment or the MicroChannel environment, and/or by use of manual switches whereby the access or base address of the adapter in the memory space or Input/Output space of the processor is physically preset manually. In a true bus environment, such as is the case for the ISA bus, selective adapter placement is not possible and the manual setting of switches is not convenient or practical in some instances.
It is desirable to eliminate physical switches altogether and to enable "soft" configuration of an adapter. What would be highly useful is a mechanism whereby any adapter type equipped with appropriate automating elements can be electronically configured and automatically identified so that physical switch setting can be eliminated and/or so the adapter can be rendered insensitive to slot positioning.